The recent arrest of at-least two close alleged aides of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren now seems to be casting a shadow on the future of the incumbent state government. Within two months, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representative, who were working closely with Hemant Soren. Sources say, during the probe, links between the arrested accused and the ‘powerful politicians in the Jharkhand government‘ have emerged.
It all started in the month of May when the ED conducted raids at several places in Jharkhand, including the residence of top bureaucrat Pooja Singhal, in an old case related to MANREGA funds. Interestingly, the raids were conducted at a time when Hemant Soren came under the scanner of the Election Commission (EC) over the allotment of mining contracts in his name. Pooja Singhal was then serving as mining secretary in the Jharkhand government and Hemant Soren held the mining ministry charge.
READ | Who is IAS Pooja Singhal being probed by ED in Jharkhand money laundering case
The financial probe agency placed her under arrest after recovering over Rs 17 crore from the residence of Singhal’s chartered accountant. The ED later alleged that Pooja Singhal was taking bribes for mining related matters. Her arrest was a direct dent on Hemant Soren’s image as chief minister.
The ED also filed a report containing the role of a ‘high-profile and powerful person’ in a sealed envelope before a Jharkhand court.
The court is yet to open the envelope, but India Today has learnt that it is likely to cause trouble for Hemant Soren.
The Election Commission hearing in Hemant Soren’s case has been postponed several times, but trouble appears to be brewing for him both personally and professionally.
READ | Why Hemant Soren is in a mining mess
The tsunami of raids and probes against certain people linked to Hemant Soren was underway when the NDA announced Droupadi Murmu as the presidential candidate, with the BJP going all out to garner support for her. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which governs the state in coalition with the opposition parties Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), decided to back Droupadi Murmu. This support dropped a huge indication that they have space to adjust with other allies in the state.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Deoghar on July 12, beleaguered and embattled with many legal and political challenges, CM Hemant Soren accorded a warm welcome to the PM at Deoghar Airport. The PM and CM were seen together during the event on multiple occasions. Earlier, his meeting with Amit Shah became a topic of conversation about whether JMM is comfortable with Congress or not.
During the Rajya Sabha elections also, after all the gimmicks, the JMM had announced a candidate without even considering the demand of its alliance party, Congress.
But before the fog could have cleared the smoke on Hemant Soren’s political inclinations, the ED swung into action once again and conducted raids in a case pertaining to a toll tender case in the state. This time, Hemant Soren’s MLA representative, Pankaj Mishra, was in the eye of the storm.
The central agency not only recovered crores of cash from Mishra’s associates but also, sources say, got hold of a money trail linking Pankaj Mishra with the mining mafia and the topmost people in the state government.
READ | Why ED raided Hemant Soren’s aide Pankaj Mishra
The ED’s investigation has revealed that politicians and bureaucrats have complicity in the illegal mining trade and have minted hundreds of crores of rupees using their clout. The officials have not denied the reports that Hemant Soren himself is under the scanner of investigators.
Hemant Soren, who is already facing challenges on the legal and political front, has also been dragged to the Jharkhand High Court by an RTI activist, Shiv Sharma, who has filed a number of public interest litigations (PILs) demanding an inquiry against the chief minister.
In one of the PILs, a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been sought against Hemant Soren and his family for allegedly amassing wealth by investing in shell companies through money laundering. The other PIL is over the allotment of a stone quarry mine in Ranchi to Hemant Soren, alleging that it is against the office of profit provision. The court is yet to pronounce an order in these cases.
Congress, with its 18 MLAs, has already expressed disagreements with the JMM on a number of issues. Many MLAs from the ruling alliance have echoed their voice against the lackadaisical attitude of the government on the development front, in and outside the house.
It would be too early to say that Jharkhand is heading the Maharashtra way, but one cannot deny the possibility of change in the political situation of the state.
READ | Why Hemant Soren must go | OPINION
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